Penta has reflected on the unusually hectic hours that preceded one of the biggest matches of his WWE career, describing a Mexico City homecoming that was as stressful behind the curtain as it was memorable once he entered the ring.
On the September 14 edition of WWE Raw, Penta faced Roman Reigns in a championship bout. Penta did not win the match, but the contest generated significant discussion among fans who felt the performance and setting established him as a more prominent main-event presence in WWE. For Penta, however, the scale of the occasion began to register long before the bell rang.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Penta said the match carried enormous personal importance. It was his first time wrestling Reigns, it took place in Mexico City, and members of his family were in attendance. Those factors alone would have made it a major night. The production plans surrounding his arrival and the responsibilities on his schedule made the day even more intense.
“Now I’m relaxed, I can tell you what happened all day but that day, it was too much stress for me because I have a lot of things in my brain. The first thing is against Roman Reigns, first time ever. Mexico City. My family is there.”
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A major match in a meaningful setting
The significance of Mexico City was central to Penta’s experience. His identity, presentation and career have been deeply tied to Mexico, and appearing in the city against one of WWE’s defining modern attractions created a distinctly high-pressure environment. This was not simply another televised match on a busy weekly schedule. Penta was preparing to meet Reigns in a championship contest while performing in front of an audience with a direct connection to his own journey.
That setting also informed the visual presentation planned for Penta’s entrance. Viewers saw him arrive at the arena on a horse, an image designed to add further spectacle to an already notable night. Yet Penta revealed that the horse arrangement was among the major logistical concerns occupying him shortly before he was due to wrestle.
“Hours before that, you saw my arrival shot in the arena with the horse. Two hours before my match, maybe three, problems with the horse. Maybe it’s not here, maybe it’s delayed, maybe something. You need makeup, I need to go the ring, I practice this. Oh, you have an interview. Oh, you have a meet and greet.”
The account illustrates the competing demands surrounding a major WWE television appearance. Wrestlers must be ready for the match itself, including preparation in the ring, gear and makeup, while also taking part in promotional obligations and production-related activities. In Penta’s case, every task was unfolding on a day when his opponent, location and family presence had already made the moment emotionally charged.
His entrance incorporated a penacho, a feathered headdress associated with Mexican cultural imagery that Penta said was part of his presentation. The element was meaningful to the entrance, but it became another concern as the time pressure increased. Penta recalled being told that the person involved would be late, adding another layer of uncertainty to a schedule that was already moving quickly.
“The name is Mexico here is a penacho, I use it for my presentation. The guys, ‘Hey, I’m gonna be late.’ Come on. Everything was rushed but at the end of the day, it was perfect.”
Trying to process a whirlwind
Penta said the full weight of the experience did not truly sink in until well after Raw had ended. In the immediate lead-up to the match, he was focused on the next obligation, the next production cue and the uncertainty over whether every planned component would arrive on time. He characterized the situation as being pulled in several directions at once.
“To be honest, two days later than my match, I started sitting in my garden like, ‘Wow.’ I promise you, two days later because in that moment, everything is on my brain. Hey Penta, you need interview. Oh, Roman is here. Oh, the horse will come. I become crazy in that moment.”
That delayed opportunity to reflect speaks to the unusual pace of live wrestling television, particularly on a show built around a major international setting and a featured championship match. The audience sees the polished end result: the entrance, the atmosphere, the interaction between two performers and the match itself. Penta’s recollection provides a look at the compressed window in which those elements must come together.
Even amid the anxiety, he tried to remain present. Penta emphasized that he wanted to enjoy the interviews and the day’s various responsibilities rather than allow the stress to overwhelm the occasion completely. When he was told he was next, he had to quickly transition from the backstage rush into the focused mindset required to wrestle Roman Reigns before the Mexico City crowd.
“When I opened my eyes, they were like, ‘You are next.’ Oh shit. Everything was too fast, but in the same moment, I try to enjoy every moment and every interview.”
The contrast is striking: Penta went from managing concerns about an entrance animal, makeup, practice, media commitments, fan activities and presentation details to standing across the ring from Reigns. His description of the day is not one of a smooth, leisurely build to a career-defining matchup. Instead, it was a hectic sequence of tasks that only reached its resolution when the performance was underway.
What Penta learned from Roman Reigns
Once the match began, Penta said he came away with an even greater appreciation for Reigns’ stature and approach inside the ring. Reigns has long been positioned as one of WWE’s most significant stars, and Penta’s comments focused less on the outcome than on the feeling of working with an opponent whom he considers among the very best.
Penta specifically praised Reigns’ character work, timing and ability to make individual moments resonate. He compared aspects of Reigns’ presence to Shakespeare, an observation that underscores how he views Reigns as a performer who communicates through pacing, expression and drama as much as physical offense.
“I learned a lot facing Roman Reigns. To be honest, I know now why he is one of the best wrestlers or the best wrestler in the universe. The character, the Shakespeare, every move you can breathe, you can enjoy every move. Bro, it’s different.”
For a wrestler such as Penta, whose presentation is built around a distinctive mask, explosive offense and a powerful connection with audiences, the opportunity to work with Reigns offered a chance to experience a different kind of high-level main-event performance. Penta said he enjoyed that style and the atmosphere it produced, particularly the pauses and exchanges that allowed the crowd to react to the confrontation between the two men.
“But I like it, I like that style, I like feeling this moment in the ring when it’s the big dog basically. He looks at me, I look at him, the whole crowd is with me, thank god. Everything was so special and magic.”
The reference to the crowd is especially important in the context of the Mexico City setting. Penta’s connection with the audience was a central component of the match’s atmosphere, and he expressed gratitude for the response he received. In a bout against a star of Reigns’ magnitude, crowd investment can shape how a challenger is perceived. Penta’s comments make clear that he felt that support throughout the match.
A loss that still carried weight
Penta’s defeat to Reigns did not prevent the match from becoming a meaningful point in his WWE run. Fans have argued that his performance in the championship match helped elevate his standing as a main-event-level figure. His own reflections reinforce why the night mattered: it brought together a first-time meeting with Reigns, a major WWE stage in Mexico City, his family in the building and an entrance presentation intended to honor the moment.
The result remains that Reigns won the September 14 Raw championship bout. But Penta’s experience was not defined solely by the loss. It was defined by surviving a frantic pre-match schedule, delivering the planned presentation despite late concerns, and stepping into the ring with a wrestler he now says taught him a great deal about the craft at the highest level.
By the end of the day, the details that had caused such stress — the horse, the timing, the makeup, the interviews, the meet-and-greet and the arrival of the penacho — had come together. Penta called the final result “perfect,” even if it took him two days at home to fully appreciate what had happened.
His account captures the stakes behind a major WWE match in a way that goes beyond wins and losses. For Penta, Mexico City was an opportunity to perform before his family and a supportive crowd, test himself opposite Roman Reigns and represent his heritage through his entrance. The road to that moment was chaotic, but the match left him with a lasting sense of accomplishment and a deeper understanding of what makes Reigns such a formidable presence in a WWE ring.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.